T20 World Cup 2022: "Rohit Sharma's numbers trouble you slightly" - Aakash Chopra on Indian captain failing to deliver on big stage
Aakash Chopra has said that Rohit Sharma's numbers in crunch games like ICC knockout games are concerning.
Rohit scored a painstaking 28-ball 27 in India's T20 World Cup semifinal defeat against England on Thursday in Adelaide. The Men in Blue set a below-par 169-run target for Jos Buttler and Co. and eventually lost by ten wickets.
In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra analysed the performances of some of India's top players on the big stage since their triumphant run in the 2013 Champions Trophy. Regarding Rohit, he said:
"Rohit Sharma's numbers trouble you slightly. We went deep to see where the problems exist, whether it is the story only in ICC events or elsewhere also. We went through the IPL knockout games as well to check where the numbers are going bad."
The former India player pointed out that the captain had middling returns in knockout games between 2014 and 2016. He elaborated:
"2014 World Cup semi-final - 24 runs, and 29 runs in the final. 34 runs in the 2015 ODI World Cup semifinal. The 2016 T20 World Cup semifinal was good - scored 43 runs off 31 balls."
Chopra highlighted Rohit's indifferent performances in knockout games in the last five years. He said:
"Champions Trophy - 0, 2019 ODI World Cup semi-final - 1. He scored five centuries in that, the entire World Cup was his but scored only one run in the semifinal. Thirty-odd in both innings of the WTC final and here (2022 semifinal) he scored 27 runs."
Lowest SR for a Captain in T20WC Knockout game
(min. 25 balls)
SR 91.7 - M Jayawardene vs WI (2012)
SR 96.4 - Rohit Sharma vs ENG (2022)*
#T20WorldCup
Rohit was the highest run scorer in the 2019 ODI World Cup with 648 runs, including five centuries in the league phase. However, he managed just one run in the semifinal defeat to New Zealand, where he was caught behind off Matt Henry.
"That's a worrying bit" - Aakash Chopra on Rohit Sharma not scoring half-century in knockout game
While observing that Rohit's international numbers in crunch games are worrisome, Chopra added that the Mumbai Indians captain hasn't excelled in the Indian Premier League (IPL) as well in knockout games. He pointed out:
"It means he hasn't scored a half-century in any knockout game, whichever he has played since 2014. That's a worrying bit. If we see IPL knockout games, it is a huge list, we went till 2009, and I am seeing only two half-centuries - one in the 2015 final and the other in the 2020 final which they won."
Chopra concluded by saying that although Rohit Sharma is a big player, the truth is that he does not score enough runs in knockout games. The renowned commentator also picked Ravichandran Ashwin as another top player whose numbers have fallen drastically in recent ICC knockout games.